A great measuring tool for diagnosing and solving typical electrical problems on a boat.
Accurately measures voltage and current from both large and small loads: The Mini Clamp Multimeter is a compact and practical tool, accurately reading voltage and current when its jaws are clamped around any current-carrying wire. Most DC clamp meters have only a high scale of 400A or 1000A, and do a poor job of resolving the currents drawn by smaller loads like a single lamp or small pump.
Designed for your boat's electrical system: This digital meter covers the typical ranges needed on a boat. The 40A scale offers a resolution of 10mA, so it can not only measure current through small loads, but also detect some unintentional leakage currents that might appear because of faults in an AC or DC system.
True RMS AC measurement: AC measurement is true RMS, a big plus compared to typical meters in this class that use simpler response systems, less accurate when measuring complex waveforms. This is important for marine applications, especially when measuring the output of an inverter.
Key Features
- Clamp allows measurement of AC and DC current in wires without disturbing the circuits or contacting live terminals
- Compact size allows comfortable one-hand operation, portability, and access to confined areas
- Auto range simplifies operation by automatically selecting the range that best fits the data
- Additional functions include: Data Hold, Overload Display, and Auto Power-Off
- True RMS AC measurement is accurate for normal sine wave and modified sine wave inverter output
Common Applications
Here are some of the practical uses for this meter:
- Check alternator, solar panels or wind generator for correct voltage and amperage output. The clamp feature makes checking amperage easy, with no need to disturb the circuit or contact live terminals.
- Check generator output voltage and check for voltage drop between the generator and AC panel.
- Check inverter output voltage. Since the Blue Sea Systems Mini Clamp Multimeter gives a True RMS AC measurement for all symmetric waveforms, it can accurately measure inverter output. An average-responding meter will exhibit substantial errors on the low side, misrepresenting correct functional behavior.
- Check AC and DC current flow through loads. Measure current draw of active loads and determine if loads may exceed available power. Avoid overloading distribution panels.
- Track current feeding and returning to/from loads in poorly marked conductors.
- Check battery banks. Measure the current flow to and from paralleled batteries to assure that they are being charged and discharged equally.
- Check for current leakage. When clamped around cables which include both the hot and neutral wires, there should be no current reading. If a significant current reading exists, it indicates a fault condition. Using the clamp feature around a shore power cord can reveal potentially deadly AC current leakage into the water surrounding the boat.
